Stand Here With Me
by Spike and Hobo
Summary: OKay we have added a new character (someone you don't expect) It is Harry's 5th year at Hogwarts. Please r/r. Thanx
1. Default Chapter

Dumbledore's Daughter  
  
She smiled at him as he held up the newborn baby for all to see. His heart filled with pride as he gazed into his daughter's face, so similar to his. His smile turned to a frown as her delicate fingers transformed into sharp, horrendous claws. Her rosy skin broke away to reveal prickly brown feathers.  
  
"D-a-d-d-y," her innocent voice whispered as she turned her face towards his. He gasped and tried hard not to drop her as her once angelic face fell apart to give way to a large beak, mottled skin and large blue eyes.  
  
She struggled to wrench herself free from his arms but he held on, wanting to bring her back. Yet it was useless. She was gone and she wouldn't come back.  
  
"Arianna," he sobbed. "Come back…"  
  
*  
  
Albus Dumbledore woke up, drenched in sweat. His hair stuck damply to his face. He pushed it back and got out of bed, pulling on his dressing gown. He walked along to his desk, ruffling the feathers of his Phoenix, Fawkes along the way. Sitting down, he took out his wand and placed it gently against his temple. Murmuring softly, what looked like one of his silver strands of hair flowed out of head. He leant over the Pensieve hidden in his cupboard and added the strand to the swirling mixture in the bowl. He sat down glumly next to the bowl and stared thoughtfully at the swirls of blue. All of a sudden, the image changed to people, a woman and a child and he stared at it. Leaning forward, the tip of his nose touched the mixture and he let himself go in, travel down through to his memories of thirty years before…  
  
*  
  
…"Have a fun time you two," Albus Dumledore shouted out at the steadily rising hippogriff and waved until it was a nothing but a tiny speck in the distance. He was very glad that his wife, Jade and daughter, Arianna, went off to see Jade mother. His only regret was that he couldn't come with them, but he was needn't hear. Wriggling out of a big conference created an equally big hassle.  
  
The next day as Dumbledore was reading the "Daily Prophet" he nearly dropped his marmalade toast shock. Nearly covering the whole page was an article devoted to an accident near the north of England. As he diverted his attention to the accompanying photograph he noticed that the hippogriff looked slightly familiar. He read on to find with utter terror the names Jade and Arianna. They were dead.  
  
*  
  
Dumbledore leant back quickly, closing the cupboard door behind him. He breathed hard. The memory of their death was still too traumatic for him to handle. When he learnt that they had fallen of the majestic hippogriff, the one Dumbledore had placed his trust in, he thought that his world had come to an end. The following weeks of trauma and unwanted but well-meant sympathy had nearly driven him over the edge. He just wanted to crawl into a little hole and die. It would've been fine if had not been appointed headmaster of Hogwarts the day before. He'd seriously thought about rejecting after the deaths but he realised that Hogwarts was too dear for him to give up. He thrived on the knowledge that Hogwarts was the best wizardry school in England. So he'd taken up the position, full of anticipation and nerves.  
  
And here he was today. An old man, who had done all he could for the school. He worked his heart out and was pleased with what he had. He was pleased with all the pleasure he gave the students. Especially the pleasure he gave Harry Potter. Hearing of the Potters death had affected him immensely as it reminded him of Jade and Arianna's. He wanted to help Harry get through the time, as he knew of all the feelings you felt when someone close to you died. He really though-  
  
At that moment, he was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.  
  
"Albus, come quickly," he heard Minerva McGonagall's voice say through the thick heavy door. He opened it quickly, anticipating a smile from the face of the Transfiguration teacher. He did not expect, though, the frown on the face of the lady who stood before him.  
  
"Albus, there's a strange lady downstairs waiting for you. Says that it's terribly important. Don't know how it could be so important that she'd wake us up at three o'clock in the morning for it. And she has the most queer accent, I could barely understand her…"  
  
Dumbledore ignored her and hurried down the steps, twisting through passages of all sorts. Finally, he reached the Entrance Hall where he saw the slim figure of a lady with light brown hair and an attractive face. She looked familiar, though he couldn't quite figure out why. She turned to face him and smiled, offering a hand.  
  
"Hello. I'm Arianna Dumbledore."  
  
Dumbledore stood, rooted to the spot. His head was swirling and he thought that he would be sick. The lady in front of him looked at him keenly, as if expecting him to do something. His bewilderment quickly gave way to anger. This was obviously some one's idea of a sick joke, yet he couldn't understand how they would've known about Arianna. As if sensing his emotions, she quickly spoke up.  
  
"I assure you, this is not a joke. I know it seems like a big shock to you, after all these years, but it is the first time I've been able to find exactly where you are. Believe me, it was some job trying to get here, just to-what do you call it? Hogwarts, is it? Well whatever it is called, you sure like to keep it hidden…"  
  
She went and Dumbledore's heart was filled with a strange feeling, as if he thought that this lady might actually be his daughter could be real. She took a step towards him, as if to embrace him in a hug of welcome, but he took a step back. She looked hurt and at that precise moment, he saw Jade in her face; the same crossed eyebrows and delicate lips.  
  
"No," he whispered. "No, no, you died. You're dead. You've been dead for thirty years."  
  
He tried to gain control of his mind, but it was useless. The look on her face was too similar to that of Jade's for the lady not to be Arianna. He knew that he should feel love for his daughter, but all he felt was fear. He was hallucinating, he knew it. It was his imagination. Arianna was dead. She died thirty years ago.  
  
"I think that we should go to talk somewhere private," she spoke softly. Because his mouth was so dry, all he could do was nod mutely. He led her up to his office, trying hard to remember to breathe as she raved on about the beauty of the castle. Finally, they reached the gargoyle statue that had welcomed him for the past thirty years as headmaster at Hogwarts.  
  
"Jelly-bean monsters," he mumbled softly. The gargoyle sprang to life to reveal the doorway into his office. All of a sudden, as he stepped into the room, he felt safe and secure. This was his territory and nothing could faze him whilst he was in it. Walking over, he ruffled the feathers of Fawkes who was at his peak; his gold and red plumage shimmering in the soft candlelight. Sitting at his grand desk, he watched as the lady pulled up a chair and sat down.  
  
"I think that you owe me an explanation for this horrid, cruel joke that you obviously think is-"  
  
"But it is not a joke. Believe me. Just listen to me, please."  
  
Her face was so grief stricken that Dumbledore felt compelled to comply and nodded gently, showing that he wished for her to continue.  
  
"Well, it all started five years ago. I've been living in Australia for the past thirty years and I didn't know much about my past. I was told that my parents were both killed in a freak accident involving accident. I knew nothing about me being a witch at all back then. I grew up, believing that I had no family and lived a normal life with a very caring foster family, the Jones. I attended a school for witches and wizards in a place called Croydon, in Sydney. It was called the Robinson's Foundation for the Edwin School of Arts. I had a marvelous time there and graduated with 58 and a half C.O.W.S."  
  
Dumbledore butted in at this point with a question.  
  
"C.O.W.S?"  
  
"Commonly Ordinary Witch (Wizard) Stars. It is the grading system. C.O.W.S of 45 and above are considered genius. So obviously, I was very proud of myself. But then I began to wonder about my family history. I tried to get contacts through to England but, as I did not know my last name, I was unable to. Then, five years ago, I found out that my last name was Dumbledore. As imagined, that wasn't a very common name. So when I tried to trace my family again, I found that my mother had been killed while riding a Hippogriff. Yet there was nothing about my father. Concerned, I wrote to the Ministry of Magic here and got a letter from Cornelius Fudge. He explained where you were and all that happened- look; I may as well read it out to you.  
  
"Dear Arianna,  
  
In reply to your concerns about the whereabouts of your father, I am very pleased to give you this information on him. His name is Albus Dumbledore and he is currently headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He's believed to be dead for thirty years now, as you and your mother were involved in a freak accident whilst flying on a Hippogriff. They presumed you dead as they never round you or your body. It seems though that you are quite truly alive.  
  
As you father is a great man (I might add here that he has received an Order of Merlin), I will be immensely pleased in bringing you over here to England if you wish to meet him. Please send back a reply as soon as you can and I shall make any arrangements necessary.  
  
Yours,  
  
Cornelius Fudge.  
  
Cornelius Fudge,  
  
Mininster of Magic.  
  
"So, I took Mr.Fudge up on his very kind offer and arranged to come here to meet you. Mr.Fudge did all he could, but I had to wait three weeks to meet you as I have no Apparating license and cannot fly a broom. So, in the meantime, I decided to look up on the freak accident that took my mothers life. Old newspaper in the Wizards Library of Sydney, showed that the Hippogriff, called Squaridonn, narrowly missed a plane. Freaked, it bucked and we, my mother and I, were not able to hold on. Yet, how could my mother die and not me? I tried thinking very hard and I remember a pink flash followed by gold and silver stars. That's all."  
  
"Checking up on things, I found out that my mother had used the Feather Charm, which made me light as a feather. Because of this, I must have floated to Australia, or somewhere far away. My conclusion is that my mother did not have time to save herself. So," Arianna choked at this point, trying to fight back tears as she spoke."So, my mother died for me."  
  
She looked down at the table, in guilt and shame, looking terribly uncomfortable with herself. Dumbledore realised she blamed the death of Jade on herself. This very look on her face dashed all doubts in Dumbledore's mind of this lady not being his daughter.  
  
"Oh, Arianna, please. Do not cry. You are a great gift to me and I cannot believe that I have you back. It is only tears of joy that we should be crying, Arianna, tears of joy…" he murmured softly into her hair as he cuddled the daughter he had thought he lost all those years ago, the daughter who had come back to him.  
  
*  
  
A shrill screeching sound near the window woke Dumbledore sharply the next day at 11 o'clock. He stretched and saw an owl at the window. It was the queerest owl, small and grey, twittering around like an excited clown. He did not want to go over and collect the note it was bearing. He just wanted to reflect on the previous nights encounter and his meeting his daughter after thirty years of thinking him dead. But he had to and he knew it.  
  
He climbed slowly out of the bed and walked over to the window to retrieve the letter tied to its leg. Scanning through it quickly, he gasped in horror. Dropping it, he pulled on his cloak and was out the door in a flash, bumping into Minerva McGonagall on the way.  
  
"Albus, how come you were not at breakfast…" she trailed off as she noticed him hurrying away.  
  
"No time to explain, Minerva. Extremely important business."  
  
He disappeared around the corner. Frowning, Minerva walked into his office. Noticing the yellowed parchment lying on the floor, she picked it up. Intending to place it back onto his desk, already scattered with parchment and quills, she stopped short as she glanced at the hurriedly scrawled handwriting on it. Reading on, she gasped in horror.  
  
Dear Pr. Dumbledore,  
  
We need your help immediately. Mum and Dad went shopping yesterday to Diagon Alley and have not returned. Extremely worried. Then a note came this morning.  
  
"If you want your parents back, give me Harry Potter or else…."  
  
It was signed: Lord He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.  
  
Please help sir. Extremely anxious. 


	2. An Early Start

An Early Start  
  
Knock, knock, knock.  
  
Ron Weasley trudged down the stairs and towards the front door, not bothering to shift his flaming, red hair away from his face. He turned the cold, door handle and flung it open. When he finally looked up he was quite surprised with what he saw. There, standing outside the door was a tall figure with silver hair up to his waist and a long nose that was so crooked it looked like it had been broken twice, in different places.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, what are you doing here?"  
  
" Well when I got the note your brother Bill sent me,"  
  
"Bill sent you a note?" Ron interrupted.  
  
" Yes," replied Dumbledore, " and I have to add that I am not impressed, Mr Weasley, by the way you opened your front door. For all you knew I could have been Voldemort himself."  
  
Ron shuddered at the mention of Voldemort, as if he were standing on the front porch at that very minute. Dumbledore, however, didn't seem to notice Ron's reaction.  
  
" Now I am sure that you will act with a bit more caution next time, but for now Ron, we will have to find out were your parents are."  
  
" Ron, what's going on? Who's at the door?"  
  
" Ah, Harry, I was hoping to get a word with you too,"  
  
" Oh, Professor, er, hi," stammered Harry Potter  
  
" Hello Harry. Now Ron, could I please step in side, it is just that there is a sharp wind out here."  
  
"I'm sorry Professor, I forgot to ask you in."  
  
" Quite all right," answered Dumbledore, " Where is the rest of your family? I would like them to hear this."  
  
" I'll call them, Sir"  
  
Soon after Fred and George Weasley who, with failed attempts, were trying to comfort a red faced, hiccuping Ginny walked into the lounge room, closely followed by their brothers, Percy, Bill and Charlie. Charlie, of which had a frighteningly pale pace despite his red, burnt skin. When Ginny saw Dumbledore, she stopped crying at once.  
  
" Oh Professor, are you really going to find mum and dad?" she asked hopefully.  
  
" I don't know, " he said softly to her, feeling her great regret and remorse, " but I'll certainly try my hardest. Now to begin, I…  
  
*  
  
…"So," began Bill," You think that Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George should go to Hogwarts earlier than normal, Professor?"  
  
" That's right and I also think that you, Charlie and Percy have to find some were safe to stay. It is quite necessary, I am certainly not going to take this note you got lightly, if your parents could be taken hostage, than so could you," answered Dumbledore  
  
" But were could we go?" asked Charlie  
  
" Well, there is always room at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.  
  
" Won't we get in your way, though?"  
  
" Of course we won't, Charlie," said Percy, " why would Professor invite us if he didn't want us? I for one could certainly help to keep the students together." As he said this, his eyes shone as if he were imagining himself getting an order of Merlin for heroically saving a first year from some horror. Fred coughed something that sounded suspiciously like humungous big head.  
  
" Now, now that's enough," said Dumbledore, "To get to the matter of your parents I think that the way to do it would be to set a trap."  
  
"What, catch Voldemort!" said Harry in an unbelieving tone. Everyone except Harry and Dumbledore flinched.  
  
" Oh no nothing like that, I just thought we could send to him something that would make him let your parents go. Than we could go back on our bargain and trick him into giving that something back." Said Dumbledore.  
  
" Let me guess, that something is me, isn't it," said Harry.  
  
" We shall see. I must be going," said Dumbledore as he quickly stood up. "I have a lot to tend to at Hogwarts. Don't forget that the Hogwarts express will pick you all up on Wednesday. I think that you will get a bit of a surprise when you reach Hogwarts," and with that he left.  
  
" I wonder what surprise he was talking about," thought Bill aloud.  
  
" Probably a very important job for me," said Percy  
  
" I just want to find mum and dad," sobbed Ginny  
  
" Look at the time. You kids better go to bed," pronounced Percy  
  
" I don't think, " began Bill who was interrupted by Percy.  
  
" Mum and dad would want them in bed. It is far too late already.  
  
*  
  
As Ron lay in bed he thought about his parents. Would he ever see them again? He knew that if he didn't sleep soon he would be very tired in the morning. He turned to see if Harry was still awake and was dismayed to see his chest rise and fall very gently and hear his soft breathing. Now not only was he worried but also a bit bored. He stared at the dark orange Chudley Cannons poster hanging on the opposite wall and before he knew it he was fast asleep.  
  
*  
  
Wednesday couldn't have come sooner. It was a blisteringly cold morning and with every breath of wind you could hear the chattering of teeth and the rustling of people searching their bags for that extra scarf. The Weasley children and Harry found themselves standing on platform nine and three quarters huddling close together to keep warm. There were hardly any people there. Only a few teachers and a goblin.  
  
" I suppose that the Hogwarts express is only reserved for students on the first of September," said Harry.  
  
" Yeah, but this is great," said Ron, " we'll have practically the whole train to ourselves. No one can bother us, not even snotty little-"  
  
Before Ron could finish his sentence an unpleasantly familiar voice came drawling out to them.  
  
" What are you losers doing here?"  
  
Ron's face fell about a kilometre.  
  
" So the rumors aren't true," said Harry," we thought that your poor mother had had enough of you and finally resorted to murder. What a shame."  
  
" Is that all you could come up with Potter? Well I know a rumor too. I heard that your parent's, Weasley are missing. But of coarse that couldn't be true they would have taken you to the station. Now, were are they, They don't seem to be here."  
  
Before Ron could jump on top of Malfoy, the train conductor called out," All aboard" and they had to get on the train.  
  
Harry and Ron chose a compartment as far away from Malfoy as possible.  
  
Ron was still fuming about Malfoy but somewhere deep inside him he was wondering about his parents. He wanted desperately to know if they were all right. He didn't know how long he could stand just waiting there and feeling so helpless. In the note, it said that you know who wanted Harry. If he got want he wanted, would he let his parents go? Then Ron shook himself. How could he even think about selling Harry to you know who. Ron decided to think about something else for a while. But the urge to see his parents. To feel them and to know that they were okay. To get told off by his mum and to be defended by his dad was too overpowering. Ron soon felt a large lump in his throat. He tried to swallow but that just made it ten times worse. Through his mind the same message was going around and around. Do not cry. Do not cry.  
  
At that moment, the lady with a tray of sweets came through the door. Harry stood up and asked Ron if he wanted anything. Ron just nodded. Everything around him was a great big blur and every sound seemed to echo a hundred times.  
  
He quickly wiped away the tears that were filling his eyes and forced himself to smile at all the sweets Harry had bought. The smile made him feel better and Harry and Ron had a great time choosing which 'Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans' were suitable for eating.  
  
While Ron was looking at his eight hundred and fifty-fourth famous wizard card the door was slammed opened.  
  
When Harry and Ron looked at who was standing in the doorway they both groaned. But it wasn't Malfoy standing there, it was worse.  
  
In pale blue robes, hair done perfectly and with every bright white tooth showing, stood Gilderoy Lockhart.  
  
Ron and Harry looked at each other, the last time they had come face to face with Gilderoy Lockhart, he had put a memory charm on himself, instead of on Harry and Ron.  
  
" Harry, Harry, you look exactly like when I last saw you, and you just have to compliment on how much more gorgeous I look."  
  
" I see you got your memory back," said Harry in a voice that showed obvious disappointment.  
  
" Oh yes, Harry, I think that you've lost your memory. You must of forgotten that what I wrote in my new book ' Lockhart the invincible' I specifically wrote how even in my state, my great genius had thought of reading all my books and now I know how great I am. Can you believe I saved a whole town from that horrible werewolf?  
  
"No," muttered Ron to Harry.  
  
"What was that?" asked Lockhart.  
  
" Nothing," said Harry, " er professor,"  
  
" Call me Gilderoy when we aren't in public."  
  
" Er okay, Gilderoy, why are you here anyway?  
  
" I'm glad you asked Harry, you see now that I have my memory back I am going to apply for 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' job."  
  
" What!" burst out Ron.  
  
" I must go now, Harry," said Lockhart completely ignoring Ron.  
  
As soon as Lockhart left Harry and Ron started complaining to each other.  
  
" He can't come"  
  
" It's not fair"  
  
" Why do I have to put up with him"  
  
" Bet Hermione will be happy"  
  
Before they bored themselves with these comments. The train finally slowed to a stop.  
  
As they walked out, Harry said,  
  
" We never did find out why Malfoy is here."  
  
*  
  
They met the rest of the Weasley children when they got in the carriages.  
  
" Did you see who is here?" asked George.  
  
" Lockhart or Malfoy?" said Ron  
  
" I knew about Malfoy," said Percy," his father is doing something important here and it was easier to take Malfoy with him now instead of making two trips."  
  
" Lockhart is here?" gaped Fred.  
  
"Yep," said Ron," and he's applying for the 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' job."  
  
" Oh no."  
  
Their conversation ended there as they walked to the castle.  
  
" Arry, Ron." It was Hagrid." Imagine seein' you two here."  
  
" Well tell you about it later. Right now we have to get to the castle."  
  
" Just going there myself."  
  
So they walked the rest of the way, with Hagrid bubbling over how surprised he was to see them. The rest of the Weasleys had fallen behind.  
  
" I can't believe that when we finally are by ourselves at school, Malfoy and Lockhart have to show up," said Ron quietly to Harry. Hagrid heard him anyway.  
  
" So you know about Lockhart do you?"  
  
" How could we not, he came right into our compartment. The worst part is that he thinks that he really did do all those things. In his books he didn't right that he cheated everyone off."  
  
"Don't worry, Arry I am sure that Dumbledore 'as enough brains to tell Lockhart that he can't 'ave the job."  
  
" But Dumbledore had no choice last time, there was no one else. You said it yourself, Hagrid. I can't see anyone waiting in line for the job. It will be Lockhart or no-one." Stated Harry," just say it, I'm doomed."  
  
They had reached the castle. Hagrid took one giant handle and pushed open the door. Immediately, warmth from all the sizzling fires in the castle wrapped around them and seemed to be pushing them inside. It was quite a contrast to the frosty environment outside. Almost straight after Hagrid, Harry and Ron walked in, so did Charlie, Bill, Percy, Fred, George and Ginny.  
  
" It sure is warm in here," said Ginny. But before any conversation could start, they were met by Professor McGonagall.  
  
" Good morning. Are you all here?" she said as she counted them before half muttering to herself, "good. Professor Dumbledore wants a word with you." So, with Professor McGonagall leading they marched their way to Dumbledore's office.  
  
" Jelly-bean monsters." As Professor McGonagall said this, a stone goblin suddenly moved out of the way to make clear the door to Dumbledores office.  
  
Inside everyone except for Harry and Professor McGonagall gasped. On all the walls there were pictures of the headmasters and headmistresses before Dumbledore. There was a glass cabinet that was full of extraordinary things. There was Dumbledore's penseive and a lot of little magical gadgets. One of the stangest things in this office, however was Fawkes, the phoenix. Fawkes' Red and gold plumage shone with magic and Fawkes himself, stood proud and tall. Dumbledore was standing there, waiting for them and a small smile crossed his face when he saw them.  
  
" Shall I leave now?" asked McGonagall.  
  
" Yes, thank you, Minerva." She left the room.  
  
" I am very glad you made it here. You three," he turned to look at Percy, Bill and Charlie, " can sleep in the teacher's dormitories and the rest of you in your normal common rooms. You can just do what ever you feel like until next week, when the school term starts. Any questions?"  
  
" Yes," it was Ginny," What was the surprise that you told us about?" Ron, who had completely forgotten about the surprise suddenly, looked very interested.  
  
" I did promise you a surprise, didn't I. I'll be right back."  
  
He hurried into another little room and came out with a woman of about 30.  
  
" I would like you to meet Arianna Dumbledore."  
  
Bill gasped, Charlie put his hand over his mouth and Percy fell over his own feet and fell to the floor with a loud clump. But Ron, Harry, Ginny and the twins didn't seem to be to troubled.  
  
" Is she your niece? Sir, " asked Ginny.  
  
" No she's my daughter."  
  
" I never knew you had a daughter or that you were married, professor," said Fred.  
  
" Neither did I," said Dumbledore. Then Dumbledore and Arianna took it in turns to explain everything.  
  
*  
  
As Ron lay in bed, on the verge of sleeping, a loud crashing noise made him sit upwards in a second, he went to the window and looked out. There in the middle of the grounds was a very strange creature indeed. Ron couldn't even make out it shape. Then as this creature caught some of the light from the room, Ron realized what it was. In a hurry, he went to Harry's bed and nearly tripped over his blanket.  
  
"Harry, Harry wake up."  
  
" What's the time?"  
  
" That doesn't matter, just get up. "Ron was practically shouting at him before Harry realized what Ron wanted him to do. Harry slowly got out of bed and made his way to the window next to Ron. When he saw what Ron was pointing at he woke up immediately. 


	3. Aragog, Nagini and One hundred ways to g...

Aragog, Nagini and One Hundred and Thirty-Six ways to get the Woman  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked, amazed.  
  
"I think it's a unicorn. Look, it is, I can see it's horn. What on earth is it doing though?" Ron replied.  
  
Harry stood at the window, peering intently through his round glasses. The unicorn was staggering around in dazed circles, its feet failing to guide him anywhere. He stared at it in awe; its coat was shining with silver, glistening in the moonlight. It took Harry a moment to realise that it was blood.  
  
"Look, it's bleeding!" he exclaimed. He made for the door before hesitating. He wasn't sure if he was allowed out on the school grounds at night, what with Voldemort chasing him and all. He raced over to his half unpacked trunk and began shifting his robes and Uncle Vernon's socks, obviously looking for something.  
  
"What are you looking for?" Ron asked, confused.  
  
"This!" Harry cried, holding up a piece of dirty parchment. Unfolding it carefully, he took his wand and placed it in the centre of the page, reciting.  
  
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."  
  
Thin ink lines spread out gradually like a spider's web over the page, starting from the point where Harry's wand touched it. They criss-crossed over each other and joined, reaching into the far corners til they finally revealed a map. It was a map of Hogwarts, complete with little dots that represented each person. Harry and Ron peered down intently, searching for a clue.  
  
"Look, the thing is near Hagrid's cabin! We can go down to him!" Ron exclaimed. Quickly, they pulled on their slippers and dressing gowns. They grabbed their wands and headed out, racing through the many passageways of the castle.  
  
Before they knew it, they were at Hagrid's cabin, banging on the thick wooden door. They could hear Fang, Hagrid's dog howling, and Hagrid's grumbles. The bed creaked loudly as Hagrid got out of bed to answer the door.  
  
" 'Arry! What are you doin' 'ere? Get back up to the castle right now," he yelled as he faced the two boys, their cheeks pinched with pink from the cold.  
  
Harry opened his mouth to explain but before he could say anything, a large, howling noise was heard.  
  
" Was that?" Hagrid spoke, pushing Harry and Ron inside the cabin.  
  
"That's what we've been trying to tell you! It's a unicorn and it's injured! Hurry, you've got to help it!"  
  
"But, I jest can't leave youse 'ere. Look, you'll 'ave to come with me," Hagrid grabbed them by the arms, and grabbed his bow and arrow.  
  
"Come on, Fang," he called out to the large dog, who was laying sleepily in the corner.  
  
He ran around the cabin and towards the Forbidden Forest, where the noise was coming from. They soon came across the injured unicorn only it was no longer injured. It was dead.  
  
"Look 'ere. See the bite marks on its neck. There's trouble 'bout. I can smell it."  
  
Hagrid leaped up and, to Harry and Ron's surprise, proceeded to run off into the dark Forest. They were only in the a few metres into the forest when Hagrid ran into, or more like bulldozed into, a centaur.  
  
"Baines! What're you doing 'ere?" Hagrid cried.  
  
"I'm just gazing at the sky, doing my bit. Mars is bright tonight, Hagrid. Unusually bright, I must say. What about you?"  
  
"There's been an attack; I'm chasing the thing. A unicorn's dead. 'Ere, look; you reckon you think that you could mind these two while I'se go and look for it? Could get a bit dangerous, you know…"  
  
"Of course, of course. You be on your way."  
  
With that, Hagrid dumped Harry and Ron and ran off towards the heart of the dark, gloomy forest, Fang at his heels.  
  
They both turned and faced the centaur, who looked quite calm even though he had just heard that something was attacking every living thing in the forest. They sat down together on a rock.  
  
"If only I'd bought along the map!" Harry spoke angrily.  
  
"Yeah; Hey, Baines, do you have any psychic abilities that enables you to see something happening?" Ron asked the centaur hopefully.  
  
"Why, yes I do," the centaur replied, quite pleased with being asked such a question. "I can, with my extraordinary powers, tell you that Mars is extremely bright tonight."  
  
Ron sighed.  
  
"I meant anything important?" he cried, annoyed.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, well I do. Mars is unusually bright tonight, and I believe that is so because Mars is in the seventh cusp of Saturn. Therefore, Mars is very bright tonight. Furthermore, Mars is never this bright, did you know that? I'm sure you have, you just-"  
  
"I don't care about Mars!" Ron cried. " Shut up about Mars and tell us about Hagrid!"  
  
"Why would I even want to know about such a petty thing like that," Baines sniffed, obviously irritated.  
  
*  
  
The tense atmosphere that greeted Hagrid when he returned and hour and a half later was so thick that he felt he could have quite easily cut it with a knife. Ron had had a tense argument with Baines over the fact that Mars being bright had nothing to do with Hagrid. Hagrid, however, did not care.  
  
"Come on you two, you're coming with me," he said grimly, taking them each by the arms and lifting them up easily. He carried them up to the castle, leading them to Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Jelly-bean monsters," he muttered half-heartedly. The gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside, letting the three in.  
  
Dumbledore greeted them, his gown ruffled and his nightcap lopsided.  
  
"Hagrid, what on earth is it?" he cried.  
  
"You-Know-Who is here," came the brusque reply.  
  
*  
  
"… So, was Aragog absolutely sure that it was Nagini who tried to kill his son? Because, if it was, it is highly dangerous here and I'm not sure if we should start school. But, but why would his snake kill a unicorn? Unicorns and snakes do not go together, I'm quite sure. And, there is also the quite obvious fact that Aragog is well, blind. Maybe it was a vine that fell or a"  
  
"Professor, with all due respect, it ain't a branch that is killin' the unicorn's it's a snake. Spiders fear snakes above all other things! They sense it! Don't you see?"  
  
"He's right Sir," Ron spoke up all of a sudden. "Remember what Aragog said Harry? He told us that the thing that was in the Chamber of Secrets was the thing that spiders fear above all and it was a Basilisk, the worst snake of all! He's right, Professor. You-Know-Who's snake killed the unicorn."  
  
Dumbledore's face was set in a thoughtful expression. He seemed to be turning over Ron's words in his head. Harry thought it was all so logical that it could be understood in an instant but he knew that Dumbledore would be analysing every word over and over to produce the absolutely correct answer.  
  
"Well, Hagrid. You can rest assured that I will think about it. I want you to dispose of the unicorn's body by dawn, so as not to scare anyone. Firstly, though, all people in the building will be sleeping in the teacher's dormitories. Go and get them, please. It'll be Fred, George, Ginny and uh- yes Draco Malfoy."  
  
*  
  
"We finally get to see a forbidden part of Hogwarts and he's here to spoil it," Ron grumbled to Harry, looking angrily at Draco who was yawning and looking delightfully idiotic in his nightgown, complete with Draco stitched on the pocket (in pink).  
  
"Never mind him, look around you," Harry whispered back.  
  
The room was indeed quite peculiar. They'd walked into a long passageway, with doors off each wall. Fred and George, who'd grumbled angrily when they were awoken, were suddenly wide-eyed and fully awake as they realised the full potential of this visit. Each person clambered into any empty room. Fred walked into one to the right and, a moment later, poked his head around and whispered excitedly.  
  
"I've got Madam Hooch's room. Gosh, she's a female version of Lockhart- she loves herself. There must be, what, six pictures of her on the wall. Hay, look, that one's picking her nose. Delightful…" He laughed as he shut the door behind him.  
  
George stepped out of another room and spoke as wickedly as his twin had.  
  
"Think that's bad, I've got Professor Trelawny's!"  
  
Everyone clambered into any room they saw, too tired to care much about where they were. Then there was only Harry and Ron standing in the passageway. There was only one room left. They looked at each other and shrugged; they weren't really tired anyway.  
  
They walked half-heartedly down to the vacant room, trying hard to laugh as they heard Draco snoring. They opened the door, gasped in horror and tried extremely hard not to scream.  
  
It was Snape's room.  
  
His large, greasy head looked back at them from a painting on the wall. The bed was large and grey and, thought Harry and Ron disgusted, seemed to have greasy patches on the pillow from his oily hair. They walked around the room, gazing at all the things. They stood at a bookcase, reading the titles. There were numerous titles, each given an insight to Snape that they had never seen before.  
  
Guilopop's Guide to Remembering Herbs by Argynold Guilopop was at the top of the stack and looked suspiciously as though it was frequently used. There was also Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them by Newt Scamander and Wandering with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart. Much to the amusement of Harry and Ron, there was also One hundred and thirty six ways to get that Woman by Guionarvardi Spockinnoff.  
  
Moving on, they were shocked to see how messy Snape was. The same man who yelled at Neville Longbottom when he spilt his frogspawn in Potions left his dirty clothes all around the room. The dirty mirror had a large crack in it (probably because it saw his face, Ron joked) and the brushes laid out in front of the mirror were full of greasy strands of Snape's black hair. Opening the drawers, they found some old toothbrushes, a dusty old book and a portrait of a very pretty lady, who looked quite familiar, though neither of them could figure out why. They pondered over this for a while, then ignored it and instead looked at the book. They could not believe their luck.  
  
It was his diary.  
  
Excitedly, though opened it up and began reading.  
  
September 18th, 1987  
  
I've just heard of the news of Voldemorts downfall. The stupid Potters! How Harry could have survived is beyond my knowledge, but I do know that James and Lily did something before their death that I, and only I, know about. They performed an extremely tricky charm. See, I knew that Dumbledore was going to tip them off about the attack and Voldemort gave me the job of stopping him doing so. I stalled him in an inevitable way (told him that they were shopping) and sent him off to Hogsmeade. I was supposed to then guard the Potters house until Voldemort arrived, but that day I saw something that would change my life forever.  
  
It was James playing with his son.  
  
Though it seems like quite an ordinary thing, I saw how much James loved his son. I couldn't do it. I felt as though all the wrong I had done was finally getting to me. I couldn't do it. The others I killed, they were strangers; the Potters were my mortal enemies. Even so, I knew them and I knew the hardship they'd been through.  
  
So I told them. I warned them and they tried to escape but it was too late. They only had time to perform the Juinunhulou Charm on Harry, a charm that wouldn't save him but make it less hurtful if anything did happen.  
  
And then they were dead. I drowned my sorrows at the Leaky Cauldron and I'm told I stared blankly and looked lifeless as everyone else cheered and celebrated.  
  
Perhaps I was.  
  
Severus  
  
Harry sat open mouthed, unable to do anything. He could feel Ron staring at him intently, but he didn't meet his gaze. He was sick. Slowly and deliberately, he replaced the book. He sat down and gulped. His mind was racing and he thought he would be sick. He would've too, he knew it, if he hadn't heard the voices outside.  
  
Ron and Harry both froze, unable to move. Slowly, Harry got up and walked over to the door, pressing his ear against it. He could hear Gilderoy Lockhart's voice and a voice that Harry knew only too well. Snape's.  
  
"…Yes, well really Snape, to turn up here, in the middle of the night at all times. And now, too. You see, there are students occupying your room at the moment. Yes, You-Know-Who's snake killed a unicorn and Dumbledore has commanded that all students here at the moment stay in the teacher's dormitory."  
  
"There are students here?" Snape questioned, interrupting Lockharts chatter.  
  
"Yes. There are the Weasley's, all of them, Draco Malfoy and the great Harry Potter. Now, you see there was absolutely no reason why I couldn't have gone up and killed that snake lizard thing, whatever it was. I'm quite experienced with things like this. I've learnt from my books that I've stared a Yeti in the eye without battering an eyelid. Impressive, yes I quite agree. I'm a splendid chap, aren't I? Yes, I've got it all; looks, brains and guts! Wouldn't you say that I am undoubtedly the greatest…." Lockhart went on and Harry could here the footsteps advancing. Any moment now, Snape would turn the handle and discover them in his room.  
  
That is, he would've if it weren't for a terrified scream piercing the dark night air that woke everyone. 


	4. The Grim

The Grim  
  
Harry and Ron soon heard the sound of footsteps hurrying away. When they could hear this sound no more, Harry motioned to the door. They crept quietly across the room aware of every creek they made on the floorboards and every breath that they took. Then, from outside came the sound of voices.  
  
"Ginny," came the exasperated voice of Fred, "it was only a rat. You didn't have to wake up the whole castle."  
  
"It was only Ginny," Ron whispered to Harry.  
  
"Shhhh." Was all he got as an answer.  
  
"But I'm afraid of rats and this one was the most horrible one that I've ever seen. It looked like it was missing a lot of it's body parts, like it had been in a big fight and had been thrashed at and torn. And the way it was scuttling around made it seem like it could crawl on be in a matter of seconds."  
  
"Now, now Ginny, I am sure that you got a fright but the rat has gone now and I'm sure that I can speak for everyone when I say that a nice long rest would be well suited." Harry and Ron recognized this voice as professor McGonagall's.  
  
"But I don't want to sleep by myself any more, what if there's another rat?"  
  
"Do not fear little Ginny, I'll get that rat with a simple charm." Before anyone could stop him, Lockhart pointed his wand at the room and shouted out,  
  
"Incanti." The spell hit the bed and rebounded on to Percy, whose ears immediately grew the size of elephant's ears.  
  
"Ahhhhh, What have you done?" shouted Percy feeling his ears with growing fear.  
  
"Oppps."  
  
"Oh dear," I think we'll need Madam Pomfrey." Said professor McGonagall. Just then, who would come into the room but Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"What's all the racket in here," she said.  
  
"Poppy, you don't know how pleased I am to see you. Percy here needs your assistance. Lockhart seems to have hit him with and enlargement charm."  
  
"Lockhart! I remember very well what he did to Harry Potter at that quidich match. I will not put up with inept teachers and…"  
  
*  
  
Downstairs, on the level just below the teacher's dormitory, Mrs Norris, Argus Filch's cat, was prowling around the castle, trying to find someone doing wrong (she didn't know that everyone was in the teacher's dormitories.) Her ears twitched as she picked up a noise coming from around the corner next to her. She silently crept, with the stealth of a cat so that she could just have a peek at who was there.  
  
If she could have gasped she would have. Instead her eyes bulged, her back arched and she could feel the prickling of all her fur standing on end. Then, in a second she had turned and ran away.  
  
*  
  
"What is it, my sweet?" asked the caretaker, very worried at his poor cat's state. She was shaking uncontrollably and was winding her way through his legs, trying to find comfort.  
  
Filch bent down to see Mrs Norris' face better and, somehow, he knew what was bothering her.  
  
"This can't be true." But when he looked at his terrified pet, he doubted this statement.  
  
*  
  
Harry and Ron had decided to take the risk that Snape was on the other side of the door. If they were found in here, it would look very suspicious that they hadn't come rushing out to see who had screamed. Harry's hand was just about to reach the door handle, when it slowly turned by itself. They looked at each other in horror and quickly jumped into an open cupboard. The door opened as Ron closed the cupboard, leaving only a few millimetres so that they could peek through.  
  
In walked Snape followed by Filch.  
  
"Professor," Filch practically yelled, " Something terrible has happened to Mrs Norris."  
  
"Well, spit it out."  
  
"She can't die, she just can't. It's not fair, I'm the squib, howcome every bad thing has to happen to me. I don't know what I am going to do. You just have to help me professor, you just have to."  
  
"Filch, kindly explain what you are on about."  
  
"She has seen," Filch paused for a second and then said in a low voice, " the Grim." Ron nudged Harry and whispered, "cool," earning himself an elbow in the ribs. Filch looked very scared at his own words.  
  
Snape however, looked quite annoyed.  
  
"And how do you know that your cat has seen the Grim if you didn't see it yourself?"  
  
"She told me."  
  
"Oh, I see it now, how could I have been so daft, she told you. And could you please tell me how she told you this?" But before Filch could answer, Snape said, "Listen, Filch, right now I don't have time to worry about your flea infested cat or your imaginary death omens. My patience is about to stretch one bit too far in a matter of seconds unless you get out this instant."  
  
"But Professor," Filch could see Snape's face go red and he immediately scrambled out of the room.  
  
When he had gone, Snape muttered to himself something about doing everyone a favor for it to die.  
  
As he walked around the room, taking things of shelf and putting others back, Ron nudged Harry.  
  
"What are we going to do?" but before Harry could answer they noticed that Snape was walking straight to the cupboard that Ron and Harry were hiding in. Ron and Harry both started to panic. But it was too late to do anything; Snape's hand was already gripping the doorknob. Harry lent back, but instead of bumping into the back of the cupboard as expected, he fell. Harry grabbed Ron and both boys went tumbling down the hidden tunnel. They seemed to go down forever and Harry was starting to worry where they would land. When they did land, however, Harry felt something soft but firm under him. As he felt it more, he realized that it was grass.  
  
"We're outside!" exclaimed Ron.  
  
Harry turned around to face where they had fallen from and jumped to see a figure that looked very dark and menacing coming towards them and it didn't look very friendly. 


	5. The Sorting

The Sorting  
  
The dark eyes of the creature glistened in the pale moonlight. It advanced upon them. Harry could hear Ron's breathing increase steadily. Both Ron and Harry edged back slowly. Harry closed his eyes, bracing himself for the attack. He waited anxiously, ready to feel the sharp claws of the creature slashing into his chest. Instead, however, he heard a familiar voice speak calmly.  
  
"Harry, Ron. What are you doing here?"  
  
Harry opened his eyes in shock and saw, standing in front of him, not a huge, hairy monster, but his godfather, Sirius Black.  
  
"S-Sirius?" he gulped, confused. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Sirius' face went red as he responded.  
  
"Uh-well-um-about that. Well, you see I-I can't explain. Not here. Come with me."  
  
Harry and Ron, dazed, got up and followed him. He led them to the Forbidden Forest. Harry, thinking clearly now, grabbed his arm and stopped him.  
  
"Sirius, no. You can't. Voldemort's in the forest," he said. Ron shuddered at the mention of Voldemorts name, but Sirius stared blankly at Harry.  
  
"Voldemort? Here, in the forest? What makes you think that? Of course he isn't! Harry, who told you that? Is your scar hurting again?" The confused look on Sirius' gaunt face was immediately replaced with one of concern.  
  
"No, no I'm fine. But his snake, Nagini, it killed a unicorn and Ara- I mean Hagrid saw it. It must mean that he's here. Doesn't it?" Harry looked extremely bewildered.  
  
"Is that all!" Sirius sighed with relief. "Of course it doesn't! Don't worry about that. I know that he isn't here. Now, be quiet and follow me."  
  
They followed him as he led them into the forest until they came to a stop in front of a huge tree, thrashing around violently. It was the Whomping Willow. Sirius picked up a long stick and poked the knot, freezing it in mid-action, it's branches flung out everywhere as if a spider was doing the tango. Together, they slipped in through the passageway and walked down until they reached the cold dirt floor. They crawled along til they reached the other end. Pulling themselves up, they hauled themselves up until they were standing in a dusty room, the rotted floorboards covered by a shaggy mouldy mat. A bed took up most of the space in the centre of the room, the ancient bedspread on it thick with dust.  
  
They were in the Shrieking Shack.  
  
A low groan came from the bed. Harry and Ron both stepped back quickly, on guard, yet Sirius walked straight over to the lump and shook it fiercely.  
  
"Wake up! Look who's here!" he whispered. The figure in the bed rose and stretched, stepping out. Harry and Ron gasped in unison as they recognised the sleepy figure that had just emerged from the bed.  
  
Remus Lupin stood in front of them, his light brown hair ruffled and his shabby robes wrinkled. He beamed widely and walked forward to embrace the both of them together.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Ron asked, amazed.  
  
"I've come on orders from Dumbledore. He wants me to be on the look out for anything; I going to be a spy with Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher and some others."  
  
Ron nodded mutely, apparently too amazed to speak. Sirius and Remus both glanced at each other, obviously worried about something. They led Harry and Ron to the bed, seating them down on it as if they knew that they would almost faint when they heard the ominous news that was about to descend upon them.  
  
"Well. There's been a killing, in Australia. We think that it's Voldemort's work. It seems like it anyway. They don't suspect anything but we do. Look, read the article, you'll see.  
  
THE KILLING OF AN INNOCENT CHILD.  
  
By Helga Dodune  
  
A young child was killed yesterday at her school, The Academy of Witches, in Melbourne. Janice Gorgie, of Plyrington Bay, was found dead by her classmates on the vast school grounds. It appears that she had been missing since their Herbology lesson, much to the concern of her teachers and friends.  
  
Her body was found near the end of the grounds, rigid and straight. Her face seemed to have a look of terror on it as though it had been frozen in fear at the time of the killing. It seems as though, highly improbable as it is, that she was scared to death. The only clue at the murder was a dark wisp of smoke that took on the shape of a skull. The Ministry of Magic have no idea what the skull is supposed to represent. Some feared it showed the return of the maniacal killer of England, Lord Voldemort, yet he has not been seen in over fourteen years and is rumoured to be dead.  
  
The Ministry is adamantly refusing to respond to the demand of the Australian community. They believed that it was a spontaneous murder and that the skull (known in England as the 'Dark Mark') was conjured up as a sick joke. They do not believe it necessary to contact the Minister of Magic in England, Cornelius Fudge, about the incident.  
  
Harry's face was contorted in horror.  
  
"Does that mean that Voldemort is in Australia? But what on earth is he doing there?" he asked.  
  
Remus and Sirius looked at each other and then back at Harry and Ron.  
  
"We do not know. We've come immediately to tell Dumbledore. But- we don't want you telling anyone about this, okay? We don't want anyone scared. You can tell Hermione, but that's all, all right?"  
  
All Harry could do was shake his head; Ron seemed to be frozen in shock. There was a lengthy pause, filled with an uncomfortable silence. Then Sirius broke it by saying cheerfully.  
  
"So, on a lighter not, how are things?"  
  
"My parents are missing," Ron responded glumly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yes. You-Know-Who sent a note saying he'd taken them and to get them back we had to give him Harry. That's why we're here, at Hogwarts. Pr. Dumbledore wants us safe."  
  
"In that case, I'd better get you back! I'd no idea! Why didn't you tell me? Gosh, come on, hurry."  
  
Sirius grabbed the two boys and pulled them out of the Shrieking Shack quickly. He led them out and walked up the school grounds with them, looking around, his arms draped protectively over their shoulders. They reached the entrance to the castle and he ushered them in, shutting the door firmly before leaving them.  
  
Harry stared out into the blackness, unable to see a thing.  
  
"Lumos," he whispered, holding out his wand. With the light that shone out of the tip of his wand, Harry and Ron were able to find their way to the teachers' dormitory (three suits of armour left of Sir Cadone and two portraits after that). They clambered into Pr. Sprout rooms, stealing the thick quilt off Ginny and placing it over them instead. Before they knew it, they were asleep.  
  
*  
  
The Weasly's and Harry stood anxiously out in the cold, waiting for the arrival of the Hogwart's Express. The wind was howling and it chilled them to the very bone as it played with the water, sending sprays of the icy cold droplets from the lake. They could see Hagrid across the Lake, the boats ready as he waited for the first years to come.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like hours in the blistering cold, the students started to stream in; the first years looked scared and some took a few steps back as soon as they sighted Hagrid. Over the chaos, they saw Hermione hurrying towards them.  
  
"Where on earth were you? I was absolutely petrified. I spent the whole trip biting my nails, worrying over you. I thought that you must've used a car or something again and I was so worried. Where on earth were you? I can't believe that you didn't even bother to tell me you were already here! There I was thinking that you were flying a rusty old Ford across England and the whole time you were here…." She rattled on, oblivious to the fact that the boys had turned around and headed inside. She followed them quickly.  
  
Together, they entered the Entrance where they were greeted by Peeves, who was floating upside down, twirling around and swooping down on the first years, who screamed in utter terror.  
  
"Peeves, really. Go away right now; you're scaring the first years! Scram!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out over the buzzing noise.  
  
"The whole point, me lovely," he chuckled back before a condemnatory stare from Pr. McGonagall sent him cackling away.  
  
The group of students shuffled into the Great Hall, where the ceiling was a maze of blue and black swirls as the wind howled and whistled outside.  
  
They sat down at the table, eagerly awaiting the food. First, though, they had to go through the Sorting Ceremony. While they waited for all the commotion to die down, Harry watched the teachers sitting at the head table. There was Professor Flitwick, who'd apparently given himself a levitating charm so that he could see over the table to all the students. Next to him, the Herbology teacher Professor Sprout sneezed violently. Harry wasn't surprised at all about her cold; the night he had to sleep on the floor in her room, an icy draft blew in under all the cracks. Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department was talking, rather reluctantly, to Snape, whose hair was curled back and his large hooked nose rather prominent as he turned side on to talk to her. Professor McGonagall's chair was empty, as was Professor Dumbledore's.  
  
Gilderoy Lockhart sat cheerfully, unaware of the deathly glances the students cast him, happily talking to Professor Vector, Hermione's Arithmancy teacher, blissfully oblivious to the fact the Pr. Victor wasn't pleased at all by having his chair taken over by some handsome, conceited chatter-box.  
  
Dumbledore ran in, his daughter Arianna by his side. All eyes in the Hall fell on the pretty young woman who was immediately shown a seat by Lockhart, who'd shooed Pr. Victor down a seat.  
  
At that moment, Professor McGonagall placed a ratted old hat on a three- legged stool. It was patched in numerous places and the first years stared at it blankly. The students waited for it to speak. Then a tear near the brim opened wide like a mouth began to speak.  
  
'Twas a millennium ago by now  
  
When I was good and new,  
  
Those great wizards that no one knew  
  
Created something for me and you:  
  
There was brave Gryffindor,  
  
From the wild moor  
  
And fair Ravenclaw,  
  
Who came from glen.  
  
Hufflepuff was sweet,  
  
From valleys afar  
  
And Slytherin was astute,  
  
Coming from fen.  
  
They fulfilled their dream  
  
Of a brilliant school.  
  
That's how Hogwarts came to be.  
  
They formed a house for each of them,  
  
And picked only the best.  
  
Gryffindor chose the brave,  
  
The ones that didn't fear.  
  
Yet Ravenclaw chose the wise,  
  
Who strived for the top.  
  
Hufflepuff preferred the workers,  
  
Ready and willing.  
  
Slytherin chose the powerful,  
  
Those full of ambition.  
  
They chose the ones they wanted,  
  
Chose them by themselves.  
  
Yet who'd choose when they were gone?  
  
Dead and buried, long forgotten.  
  
Gryffindor took me off his head  
  
Then they place their brains in me.  
  
Now I'm the one who chooses  
  
Where you shall go,  
  
It's up to me.  
  
So put me on, try me out,  
  
I'll know for sure, without a doubt!'  
  
The hat fell silent. Then Professor McGonagall pulled out some parchment and began to call out the names.  
  
'Apoply, Tonia' became a Ravenclaw and 'Azdid, Carla' joined Slytherin.  
  
"So, why were you already here?" Hermione whispered as 'Bahn, Laurance' skipped over to the Hufflepuff table.  
  
"Later," Ron whispered. "We can't talk here. Wait til we're in the Common Room."  
  
They cheered as 'Daly, Peter' joined the Gryffindor team. Harry spotted Nearly Headless Nick patting Peter on the back, who looked rather uncomfortable at the seating arrangements. Harry felt a chill go down his spine as if it was him who Nearly Headless Nick (Sir. Nicholas de Mimsy- Porpington) had patted.  
  
Professor McGonagall called out the names. 'Junkin, Holly' and 'Kyrid, Spike' were put in Gryffindor.  
  
Finally, the last person ('Yelly, Jim'-Hufflepuff) was called and Professor McGonagall put away the parchment. Professor Dumbledore stood up.  
  
"I tell you to eat and enjoy," was all he said. Everyone cheered and dug into the food that had just appeared on their golden plates; mashed potato, steak and Shepard's pie were only a few of the meals that they dug into. Ron watch Hermione dig in hungrily.  
  
"What happened to SPEW? Decided to let it live up to it's name and eat a lot so you can puke on the stairs or something, have you?" he asked.  
  
"Well, I decided to stop it. They didn't like it and I've decided that all that time I spent looking up stuff for house-elves could've been used up by studying. Our O.W.L.S are this year, remember?" she replied.  
  
Just then, the food disappeared, only to be replaced by delectable sweets a second later. Treacle tart, chocolate gateau and Yorkshire pudding replaced the steak and potatoes.  
  
After stuffing themselves, the food disappeared; the golden plates sparkling clean again. Dumbledore stood up and spoke.  
  
"Welcome everyone to a brand new year. Firstly, Mr Filch has told me that Ton-Tongue toffees, left in a Gryffindor dormitory was eaten by Mrs. Norris during the holidays. The owners of the offending sweets are asked to come forward and do their duties 'like a man or men' as he put it."  
  
Fred and George Weasly grinned at each other; Harry knew only too well that they were the offenders who most probably accidentally on purpose left the sweets there. He knew this, because they had done the same thing to Harry's cousin, Dursley last year.  
  
"The Forest is out of bounds to all students, as well as the village of Hogsmeade to all students below third year. The inter-house Quidditch Cup will take place this year as per normal (Harry cheered, along with the rest of the Gryffindor team)."  
  
"We have some new members on our staff this year. I'm pleased to introduce Professor Lorna, who will be assisting Professor Trelawny in advanced Divination. I also have pleasure in introducing my daughter, Arianna Dumbledore as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."  
  
The Hall buzzed with excitement. Snape shot a look of pure loathing at Arianna, as it was common knowledge that Snape was dying for that position. Lockhart, however, jumped up, yelling.  
  
"But that is my job! I'm the one who has saved villages from werewolves, defeated vampires in the dark forests. Have you not read my books? I surely deserve the chance for a position teaching here at Hogwarts…"  
  
Dumbledore stood up, raising a hand for silence.  
  
"I realise, Professor Lockhart, that you wish for a job here and you shall get it. You are now Professor Snape's Potions assistant."  
  
Snape jumped up in fury, just as Lockhart pulled out his wand and yelled "Hundonole". The green light that shot out of Lockhart's wand reflected off different surfaces all around the hall, finally hitting something that made everyone ominously quiet.  
  
The Bloody Baron stood up, his blank silver eyes going bright red with anger as his robes fell apart to reveal his olden style clothing, caked in dry blood, his chest heavily slashed. 


	6. Relations and Relationships

Relations and Relationships  
  
Everyone gasped in horror, hut it was the teacher's table that was most interesting. Severus Snape stood up just as the Bloody Baron did. He just stood there, his eyes grew very large and his mouth hung open.  
  
"But, I, you, how?" he finally got some words out. "This can't be," he muttered to himself. Then with a slow, long breath he fainted. Only to sit up in confusion a minute later, look at the Bloody Baron (who now had his robes back on) and say loud enough for the whole hall to hear, "Grandfather?"  
  
"What are you talking about Severus?" asked Lockhart. The Bloody Baron's eyes went an even darker shade of red as he stared fixedly at Lockhart. It looked like he was about to breathe fire.  
  
"Dumbledore who was kneeling next to Snape said, "I think Professor needs some rest."  
  
"No, wait," Snape cried out in protest. HE quickly got up and turned to the Bloody Baron. "Are you Grandfather?" he said under his breath.  
  
The Bloody Baron, seeing that there was no need to lie now said, "indeed, I am."  
  
"I can't believe it." He said. By now, everyone in the room was as silent as a mouse and was listening intently.  
  
"Well believe it."  
  
"I-"  
  
"Shutup. I have been following you closely, Severus, and I believe that this would be a good time to tell you how embarrassed I am to be your grandfather. You have shamed your whole family.  
  
"But what did I do?"  
  
"This, this defense you are holding, has no need. For you are truly aware of what-"  
  
"I don't know what you are talking about"  
  
"DO NOT INTERRUPT ME. Do you not remember the vowels that you took at the age of ten; you solemnly swore that you would find a wife and continue the Snape family," (giggles could be heard around the hall.) "Also, you have forgotten that you should keep the Snape family charm where ever you go." (This time the hall was filled with snorts of laughter that were obviously trying to be hidden.) "But when I watch you, I see plain rudeness."  
  
It was now Snape's turn to go red. Very red.  
  
"I think that it is time to go now Severus," said Dumbledore. Snape did not object. The Bloody Baron, fuming, vanished through the wall and was not seen at the feast again.  
  
As soon as everyone gripped what had just happened, the whole hall was filled with the exited buzz of students chatting. Dumbledore quickly quieted them down.  
  
"I would like to say to you all that Professor Snape has had a very big shock and it would be wise for everyone not to mention it in his presence. I think that I can trust you all with this request."  
  
Before sitting down he added, "Inchito Lorentus." All the tables were covered with food though Harry barely noticed. He was too busy thinking about Snape.  
  
"I can't believe that that was Snape's grandfather," said Bill.  
  
"I can't believe Dumbledore won't let us say anything, how unfair," moaned Ron.  
  
"Oh, but really you do see Dumbledore's reasons, don't you?" it was Hermione. "I mean I know that Snape's really awful and all but it must be horrible to be in his position right now, without a whole bunch of students tormenting him."  
  
"Hermione, you are so daft." Said Ron.  
  
"Hmmp."  
  
*  
  
The next night, in the staff, Professor Dumbledore addressed the staff.  
  
"I know that some of you have already met Arianna, but for those who have not had the pleasure, here she is." The teachers all shook hands with her and told her how pleased they were to have her there.  
  
"Father, may I be excused, it's just that I have a lot of work to do tonight for preparation for my classes."  
  
"Certainly, it's no problem."  
  
"Thanks. Goodnight." Arianna left the room.  
  
"Now, where was I," said Dumbledore, "Oh yes, I would like to tell you that Remus Lupin will be staying with us throughout this school year." As the words were spoken, Lupin stepped into the room. "What good timing," said Dumbledore.  
  
"Am I late?" asked Lupin.  
  
"Not at all," said Dumbledore. "Now please take a seat."  
  
Remus sat down, looking slightly embarrassed.  
  
When the meeting had ended and everyone had filed out of the staff room, Dumbledore asked Lupin if he could wait behind.  
  
"So how is everyone?" asked Dumbledore who was referring to Black and everyone who was hiding under the Whomping Willow.  
  
"We're doing fine. I heard that your daughter is roaming around the castle."  
  
"Yes, unfortunately you missed her at the staff meeting. But there will be another time to meet her. Goodnig- I almost forgot, you can sleep in the castle. You will have your own room back. I hope that you'll be happy to hear this."  
  
"I am, thankyou sir."  
  
"Goodnight Remus."  
  
*  
  
"You promised that you'd tell me what happened while I was away," complained Hermione.  
  
"Okay, okay," said Harry. So Harry and Ron spent fifteen minutes filling Hermione in.  
  
"I can't believe that I missed so much. Boy, do I wish I was here early."  
  
"Yeah, that's great Hermione, but can we go to sleep now?" said Ron.  
  
"No, you can't"  
  
"What!"  
  
"We need to talk to Sirius about this," she said.  
  
"We told you before that we already talked to him."  
  
"But you didn't tell him about the tunnel in Snape's room, and what about what happened tonight?"  
  
"Fine then, we'll right a letter. But it's only going to take five minutes," said Harry. An hour later, they had finished.  
  
"Finally," said Harry as he picked it up to read for the last time.  
  
Dear Snuffles,  
  
Hi, what have you been doing lately? There have been a lot of strange things happening in the castle. At the feast today we found out that the Bloody Baron is really Snape's dead grandfather. He stood in front of the whole school and told Snape off for not keeping the family honour. It was hilarious. A few days ago we were in Snape's room because Dumbledore told everyone in the castle to stay in the teacher's dormitory (that was just after they found the unicorn.) Anyway Snape was just about to walk in when Ginny screamed (we found out later that it was because of a rat.) Then a few minutes later, Snape walked in again and we were forced to hide in the cupboard. Ron and I were about to be discovered except that we fell back through the cupboard wall. We fell through a tunnel and landed outside. Then we met you  
  
That's about all. Send me something soon,  
  
Harry  
  
"We can send it tomorrow morning," said Harry. "All I want to do now is sleep."  
  
*  
  
"Arianna, I would like you to meet some one," said Dumbledore."  
  
"Really, who?"  
  
"I can't tell you that now. But when you do meet him you mustn't tell anyone."  
  
"Okay, I promise."  
  
"I can't really take you there as I have some important matters to tend to. So I have asked Remus Lupin to take you there instead. You haven't met him yet. He just missed you at the staff meeting," said Dumbledore, half- chuckling to himself.  
  
"Sure thing. So when am I going?"  
  
"Now."  
  
"Now?"  
  
"Yes, he should be here any minute now. Ah, Remus. There you are. Meet my daughter Arianna, Arianna meet Remus."  
  
Arianna and Remus looked up at each other. As soon as their eyes met, Lupin felt his knees give way. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Right then, she had her long, light brown hair out. It had natural blonde streaks in it that caught the light and shone like the setting sun. Her face had perfect features, with long eyelashes and deep blue eyes. She had a slim waist and held herself high. She didn't look like she was boasting, like Lockhart, but she seemed to radiate a force that took her apart from the rest.  
  
"I, er, let's go shall we?" he said.  
  
"Um, okay." As they walked out of the room Dumbledore stood there with a big smile on his face. "Who would have thought?" he said to himself.  
  
Outside Lupin was guiding Arianna through the grounds and toward the forbidden forest. Arianna who was as entranced by Lupin as he was by her asked, "Are you sure it is safe to go into the Forbidden Forest."  
  
"Don't worry, trust me," he said. Arianna did, even though he was a stranger to her, she felt that he was trustworthy.  
  
As they made their way towards the Whomping Willow, Lupin took a big stick from the ground and with it prodded a knot near the roots. At once the tree froze and they were able to enter into the shrieking shack. When they opened the door. A few people stood in front of them. Sirius was one of them. Arianna reached for her wand, but Lupin put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped. Lupin introduced everyone and explained everything to Arianna. About how two years ago he found out that Black was innocent. Then Black told her about their suspicions about Voldermort,  
  
"I would love to help you," she said.  
  
"We knew that, we knew that you would help your father."  
  
"I didn't know my father was part of it."  
  
"But I just told you!"  
  
"Oh," said Arianna, embarrassed. The reason that she hadn't heard him was because she was too busy watching Remus. She just couldn't keep her eyes off him.  
  
"Well I think that that's about all. Just remember not to tell anyone. Okay? The only people who know about us are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Severus Snape, Bill Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, your father, and you."  
  
"I understand, I won't tell anyone."  
  
"Good," said Sirius. Arianna and Lupin left the shrieking shack after that.  
  
"That was hopeless," said Sirius when they were out of earshot. 


	7. Cursed Detentions

Cursed Detention  
  
Harry and Ron both woke early the next morning. They sneaked out and walked up to the Owlery, where they tied the note they'd written to Sirius the night before to Hedwig's leg. She flew off out the window. Harry and Ron then went back to the Common room, where they met Hermione. Together, they walked down to the Great Hall. They sat down, looking at the timetables that had just been handed out and trying to eat their bacon at the same time without making much of a mess.  
  
"Damn!" Ron cursed. "We've still got Potions with Slytherin. Hey, we've got Defence Against the Dark Arts this morning. That should be good- and oh no! Double potions this afternoon with Lockhart and Snape!"  
  
Harry groaned, just as the familiar rush of wings came from above. Hundreds of owls swooped down, dropping parcels on the laps of the people sitting down. Hermione, surprisingly, got two; an owl bearing the Daily Prophet logo (she subscribed to it, as it was 'very interesting' to keep up with the wizard world). The other bird, however, was the weirdest looking thing that Harry and Ron had ever seen; it looked like a vulture, dark and vulgar looking. Hermione, just as curious as Harry and Ron, took the letter off the birds extended leg. As she read the note, she blushed a deep crimson red.  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked.  
  
"It's from Victor," she cried. Harry and Ron both stared at each other blankly before they realised who she was talking about.  
  
"Krum?" Ron exclaimed. "What did he say?"  
  
Hermione appeared extremely embarrassed at this request, yet read it out anyway.  
  
" Dear Hermione,  
  
Well, it has been long time since we last saw each other. I've been missing you a lot and I hope that you have been missing me too. I feel that this school has lost its bad reputation, now that Kakaroff has run off somewhere; the new headmaster, Professor Hydole, does not seem as enthusiastic as Kakaroff was on emphasising the teaching of Dark Arts here at Durmstrang.  
  
It was too bad that you were unable to make it over here during the holidays; at first, I thought that it might've been that Harry Potter, or Ron Weebly, but then I thought, no, of course not.  
  
I wish that I could see you soon. How do you like my beautiful bird, Dosinia? He is part vulture and part eagle, a very rare breed, much better than that white owl, wouldn't you say?  
  
Well, I'm sure that I'll see you soon. I hope that you are having a great time at Hogwarts.  
  
Yours,  
  
Victor.  
  
P.S. Did I tell you that you looked very beautiful on the night of the-"  
  
Hermione stopped at this. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who'd been eavesdropping, giggled, causing Hermione to blush an even deeper red. Ron and Harry did not know what to say. Thankfully, Neville Longbottom broke the awkward silence by opening a Howler from his grandmother.  
  
"YOU'VE FORGOTTEN YOUR MITTENS AGAIN NEVILLE, NOT TO MENTION YOUR BRAND NEW SET OF QUILLS! AND I'VE JUST FOUND YOUR REMEMBRALL, HOW COULD YOU FORGET THAT? -"  
  
The tirade went on and on, listing all the things that Neville had forgotten. Neville's cheeks went a deep pink as all the people in the hall stared at him as his grandmother went on about his underwear. Finally, it stopped, with Neville's face taking on an extremely grateful look.  
  
Draco Malfoy, flanked by his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, walked over to the Gryffindor table, stopping in front of Neville.  
  
"And why'd you take the blue underwear when I layed out the pink ones for you," he mimicked in a high-pitched tone. Neville looked close to tears.  
  
"Bit rich coming from you, Malfoy. Fancy you having a dressing gown with Draco stitched in pink on your pocket," Harry jumped to Neville's defence.  
  
The tips of Draco's ears went pink and he walked away.  
  
Neville smiled at Harry.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
*  
  
The class sat expectantly, anticipating the arrival of Arianna Dumbledore. It was their first lesson; they had their books out, quills ready. Harry, Ron and Hermione had barged in, grabbing the front seats. The door banged open and in walked the pretty teacher. She smiled at them all, placing her books on the table.  
  
"Hello," she smiled, showing straight white teeth. "I'm Professor Dumbledore's daughter, as most of you would know. I'd like you to call me Professor Jones, as it'll be easier than having two Professor Dumbledore's racing around."  
  
She sat down and began to call the roll. She stopped when she reached Harry's name and she opened her mouth to speak.  
  
"Now, why does that name sound familiar? Harry Potter, Harry Potter. Yes, I know. He's the one that defeated Voldemort." The whole class, except Harry, shuddered. Harry sat open-mouthed. He felt strange; he was so used to having everyone gazing at him and his scar that it felt weird. Not bad weird, but good weird. He felt a rush of gratitude at her naivety towards him.  
  
She continued marking the roll.  
  
"Now, I've been speaking to Professor Dumbledore and a previous teacher of yours, and I've decided that it is time for you to learn about the fiercer things that you may need to defend yourself again in years to come. So, the first topic will be on dragons."  
  
Everyone gasped at this point and Harry, Ron and Hermione both looked at each other, smiling secretly. They already knew a lot about dragons. In their first year, Hagrid had bought a dragon's egg, which gave them Norbet. In the end, because of all the hassles that he cause them, they'd had to give him to Charlie, who was fighting dragons in Rumania, much to the despair of Hagrid.  
  
"Now, to start off, the first step in defending yourself against dragons is knowing how to identify them; there is no use, for example, performing a Confusement charm on a Norwegian Ridgeback, when the only dragons that can be confused of Blue Forgens…"  
  
*  
  
"That was great," Ron commented an hour later. "She's right up there at the top with Lupin and Moody."  
  
They'd spent the lesson identifying different dragons. She'd given out figurines of different dragons and their homework was to find out what dragon it was. It seemed as if she believed in rewarding people for good work and had promised a Honeyduke's peanut crunch bar to all the people who got their answer right.  
  
They happiness was soon dampened, though, as soon as they made their way down to the dungeons for double Potions. They entered the room, full of dread. Sitting at his desk, looking absolutely furious was Snape. Lockhart was prancing around the room, placing portraits of him around the room.  
  
"Yes, I think that a bit of blue in this place would do it the world of good, wouldn't you say? Ah- here's Harry, we can ask him." Lockhart faced Harry and was just about to bombard Harry with questions about the interior of the dungeons when a voice came drawling behind them.  
  
"So, sucking up to Krum now, Hermione? Trying to get a few pointers off him, to pass on to Harry? I always knew you were a user, you stupid Mudblood-"  
  
Both Harry and Ron took out their wands in unison, both shouting out.  
  
"Reducio," Harry yelled, just as Ron bellowed out "Engorgio."  
  
Both spells hit Draco; Harry's on his face and Ron's on his body. Malfoy's body swelled up until it resembled a trolls, thick and tall. His head, however, shrank down til it was the size of a marble. He squeaked and, upon seeing himself, screamed before fainting.  
  
Snape jumped up, furious. He grabbed both Harry and Ron both by the arm and marched away with them. He led them up to Filch's office, where he dumped them.  
  
"Detention for both of them for the rest of the double period."  
  
He marched off, swirling his coat around furiously.  
  
Harry and Ron both turned to stare at Filch, who was grinning widely.  
  
"Just the people I want. You two can do a very special job for me." He led them down to a room not far from the Gryffindor common room. Opening it, Harry and Ron nearly choked on the thick dust that wafted out to greet them. Obviously, the room hadn't been used for a long, long time.  
  
"I want you to clean out this whole room. Everything must be spic and span. If you don't finish by the end of the double period, you can finish at lunch," he ordered. He stormed off.  
  
Both Harry and Ron groaned. Harry got out a broom and started sweeping the dust away. They'd been working for the best part of an hour when Harry heard Ron call him from across the room.  
  
He was scrubbing the old desks that had been abandoned years ago. Engraved on one of the desks, in a childish scrawl were six words.  
  
'Wormtail,  
  
Moony,  
  
Padfoot  
  
And  
  
Prongs  
  
Rule!'  
  
Harry's breathing increased. He felt excited. The thought that his father had once sat in this room was so exhilarating that he could barely breathe. He gazed at the words and felt so sad that he thought he would cry.  
  
He continued his work, the engraving on the desk on his mind the whole time. He was sifting through some old parchment, when he noticed the words on one of them. He read on.  
  
…I am the sea that is carrying you onwards,  
  
…I am the sky that brings you forward.  
  
…I am the friend you come towards,  
  
…I am the lover you desire.  
  
…I am all that you need,  
  
…I am all that you want.  
  
…I am waiting for you to come.  
  
…Waiting for you to return home.  
  
The words were queer, strange. He read them over and over in his mind, trying to figure out what made them so welcoming, so warm.  
  
"Hey Ron, listen to this:  
  
'…I am the sea that is carrying you onwards,  
  
…I am the sky that brings you forward.  
  
…I am the friend you come towards,  
  
…I am the lover you desire.  
  
…I am all that you need,  
  
…I am all that you want.  
  
…I am waiting for you to come.  
  
…Waiting for you to return home.'"  
  
At that exact moment, the room began to swirl around. They seemed to be getting sucked into some sort of warp; they were pulled along as if an invisible giants hand grabbing them around the waist and pulling them. It seemed like forever that they went on like this. Finally, they stopped.  
  
After the dizziness faded away, Harry noticed that they were in a house. It was an ordinary wizard house, like the Weasley's. They stood there astonished. What on earth had just happened? They didn't have long to wait to find out; Harry and Ron could hear the voices of two men coming towards the kitchen they were standing in. 


	8. A Glance at the Past

"Shhhh, someone might hear us," a familiar voice came through the door and to Harry and Ron.  
  
"Where's Lily?"  
  
"She's getting Harry,"  
  
"WHAT,"  
  
"I tried to help her but she wouldn't let me, she told me to go and help you."  
  
"But it can't take this long to carry a baby from the house to here, can it?"  
  
"Don't worry they're fine, I promise."  
  
"I hope your right."  
  
The two men were about to open the door to the kitchen, but neither Harry nor Ron could move. They were both mesmerized by the hushed conversation they had just heard.  
  
Harry was shaking slightly as the door creaked open. But when the two men quietly stepped into the room, the shaking multiplied so many times that it looked like Harry's knees would just collapse under him.  
  
"Dad?" he whispered. There was no answer, "Dad," he repeated. James Potter and Remus Lupin didn't seem to notice that Harry and Ron were standing in the middle of the room. Harry and Ron looked at each other and after a while, Harry walked up to his father, raised a shaking hand and slapped him in the face. Harry's hand hit James' face hard and made his hand sting, but James didn't even twitch his head, instead he kept on trying to take out a brick from the wall. Harry suddenly understood.  
  
"Ron, I, I know where we are. We're in a memory!"  
  
"Wow, I can't believe it, so no-one knows we're here, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"But Harry what do you think Lupin and your father are doing?"  
  
"I don't know," said Harry in a quiet voice as his thoughts were again on his father. Both boys stopped talking and watched.  
  
"Do you think that we should just use our wands?" asked James.  
  
"No, that might give us away to Voldemort," answered Remus  
  
"But the brick won't budge," said James in a hurried whisper.  
  
"Here, let me help…"  
  
"At last, I thought that we would never get that brick out. Quick where is the quill?" Said James  
  
"Here," said Lupin, "do you want me to write?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Harry and Ron tripped over their own feet to see what Lupin was writing on the old bit of parchment that had been hidden in the wall. As they bent over his shoulder they saw him write in an untidy scrawl:  
  
November 3rd, Lily and James got word that Voldemort knows were they are. Running away to find Dumbledore. Can't send message in case intercepted. James and Remus, in secret room, writing this note.  
  
"Er, Remus," began James, "I think that Serius suspects yo-" He was interrupted by a noise outside.  
  
Everyone ran to the window and looked out of it.  
  
"Voldemort," whispered James, "quick put the parchment back in the wall. We have to go. Oh, no. Lily and Harry."  
  
"They must still be at the house." Said Lupin who had put the brick back in place. At his words James was out the door, Lupin closely following. When they were outside James turned and shouted to Lupin, "Quick, get Dumbledore, I'll get Lily and Harry, I'm counting on you Remus." Lupin turned and ran in the other direction while James kept going, Harry and Ron closely following.  
  
Finally, they got to the house. It was a nice little house, besides the fact that two people were about to be murdered in it. Though the Potters had been in hiding, there was still proof that they lived an ordinary life. Like the pot plants on the windowsill that had died because of the need to be watered.  
  
Now, however, the whole house was silent except for the deep breathing of James.  
  
James barged into the house and walked right into the living room.  
  
Lily Potter was crouching in the corner of the room. Tightly wrapping a fluffy blue blanket around something in her arms.  
  
"Lily."  
  
Lily turned around, a startled look in her huge green eyes, but when she saw that it was James, she relaxed.  
  
"Take Harry and go!" said James, "It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off."  
  
She started for the door; the something in her arms was Harry as a baby, wrapped tightly in the blue blanket so that only his thick black hair could be seen.  
  
The older Harry had a huge lump in his throat that had been forming ever since they had run out of the kitchen. He knew exactly what was going to happen next and he also knew he didn't want to watch it. He had to hide somewhere, it was just too much for him, but even though he kept telling himself, 'run', his body just sat there staring at the horrific scene that was quickly unraveling before his eyes.  
  
Lily scrambled to the door but was stopped as it suddenly sprung wide open with great force. A chilly wind filled the room and in the darkness a laugh came floating in with the wind a horrible, high laugh that went right through you and sent a shiver down your spine. It grew steadily louder until all you could hear was that high pitched laugh that seemed to travel inside your head and stab at your brain then pull at your hair until you finally go mad with frustration and helplessness. Then it all stopped at once, and standing in the doorway was Voldemort, in long, black robes, just looking down on Lily, James and Harry in a way that made you know who was boss.  
  
Ron screamed at the top of his lungs, "YOU KNOW WHO," and grabbed onto Harry's arm. But Harry was too wrapped up in what was about to happen to notice.  
  
"Say goodbye, James." Voldemort boomed out in a confident voice. Then he let out a cackle and said, "at least you'll have your useless son to keep you company when you're a ghost." He raised his wand and so did James, in the background you could hear the sorrowful weeping of Lily as she rocked her baby from side to side.  
  
"AVADA KEDAVRA" The words were said in less than a second and the spell hit James like mighty waves crashing on the face of a cliff. As he fell to the ground a piercing scream could be heard from Lily as she collapsed to her knees and cried. Baby Harry started crying and the real Harry ran to his father and wrapped his arms around the cold body. This was as close as he had ever gotten to his father that he could remember even if it was a memory. Harry lay there for what seemed eternity, silently crying onto his father's lifeless body. He sensed Voldemort turning to face his mother, he covered his face, there was no way that he could bare to watch this.  
  
"Stand aside," said Voldemort to Lily.  
  
"No," Shrieked Lily, "no, not Harry, please not Harry!"  
  
"Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside, now…"  
  
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead! Just not Harry! Please…have mercy…have mercy!  
  
"If you will not stand aside then you shall be killed as well.  
  
"Please, anything…anything, just don't harm Harry!"  
  
Lily then screamed as loud as she could and her scream was full of pain and hurt and loss. It was a scream that when you heard it you knew that there was no way out, that it was the end of everything. Her scream was so loud that it drowned out Voldemort's words and she was killed without even knowing that the curse had been said yet.  
  
As Lily collapsed next to her baby, the real Harry stood up. He had to watch Voldemort lose his powers, there was no way that he was just going to put up with watching his parents' murder and not see the cause of their deaths reduced to hardly anything. But at the precise moment he stood up, the floor shook and everything swam around and then all was black.  
  
*  
  
"Harry, Ron, wake up. Quick get a teacher."  
  
"Look at them, I wonder what happened."  
  
"I hope they're all right"  
  
Harry felt Ron stir next to him as they lay on the cold, hard floor.  
  
"Ron? Well don't just stand there, help him!"  
  
"All right, everyone move out of the way," said an older voice, "Oh, dear. Ron, what happened? No, don't tell me. Hermione, can you help here? Oh and can someone get Professor Dumbledore. The rest of you leave please."  
  
There was a slow scrambling as the crowd of people reluctantly left.  
  
"Hermione, can you tell me what happened?"  
  
"Yes Professor, well I was standing right here calling out to Harry and Ron because I couldn't find them anywhere and I was really worried because I hadn't seen them in ages and while I was calling out they suddenly appeared at my feet on the floor and Ron had a really white face, much whiter than it is now and Harry's face was all red and wet and he was shaking and th-"  
  
"That's terrible," it was Arriana. She was with most of the other teachers including Dumbledore. Without saying a word he conjured up two stretchers and lifted both Ron and Harry  
  
onto them with magic. He walked briskly to the Hospital Wing. Hermione tried to follow but Arriana held her back and whispered something in ear, together they walked off in the opposite direction. 


End file.
